Zach Braff wants ‘Alex, Inc.’ to be family affair
Playing the oddly optimistic Dr. John Dorian on “Scrubs” from 2001-2010 gave Zach Braff what he thought would be enough time starring on a network TV show to last him a lifetime. Since then, he’s shown more interest in movies (“Oz the Great and Powerful”) and guest-starring parts on TV shows (“Inside Amy Schumer”).
His view about being part of a network TV show changed when he saw the script for “Alex, Inc.,” a family comedy about a successful radio producer who decides to risk everything — including his savings — to start his own business. Armed only with the help of his overenthusiastic producer and his fast-talking, unemployed second cousin, Alex navigates the crazy world of start-ups while trying to keep his marriage and family a priority.
“I had been directing a bunch and I thought if I was to ever go back to television, it would be something edgy on cable,” Braff says. “Then this one came up and I thought ‘I kind of love this.’ There’s so much television, but there isn’t a ton of stuff that parents can watch with their kids.
“This was so entertaining to me and felt a lot like ‘blackish’ or ‘Modern Family.’ It’s the kind of show that a parent can enjoy and a kid can enjoy. They can all watch together.”
Braff is not only the star, but also one of the executive producers, along with Matt Tarses (who was an executive producer on “Scrubs”). The spark for the series, according to Tarses, was Alex Blumberg, an American entrepreneur and radio journalist who is the co-founder and CEO of the podcast network Gimlet Media. Blumberg left the podcast “This American Life” because he had the idea that no one had quite yet mastered how to monetize a podcast, which does come mostly from selling short ads within the podcast and having sponsorship, much like television.
The podcast element is in tonight’s opening episode of “Alex, Inc.” as Braff’s character will talk about being a guy with a family who has no idea how to start a business. After that, the majority of the stories will revolve around the family.
Any use of the podcast element will be easy for Braff to handle because he’s a huge fan. He would love to do a podcast in connection with the TV series, but most of his time over the past year has been spent getting the show up and running. A lot of that extra work came from directing episodes of the show.
“Making this has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. Even with the films I have done, I am not doing post work or helping in the writers’ room for an episode that’s coming up,” Braff says. “If someone else wants to do a behind-the-scenes podcast about the show, I would love to be on it.”
“Alex, Inc.” airs at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays on ABC.